Today At TheSiteThe Diary of a Nobody: It’s a busy shift at the retailer, as Sparrow keeps some guy from scamming a discount on ski goggles, and there are breakfast sandwiches on sale in the freezer case across from the service desk. Today’s Diary.

There are several varieties: ham and cheese, sausage and cheese and bacon and cheese, both croissant and English muffin…I have some street cred here: do NOT ever buy a frozen English muffin sandwich…Get the croissant…The biscuits, if you can find them are next and only get the English muffins if your only other option is Drano…$8.63 for a pack of eight and, frankly, the house brand is just as good.

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Criminals, Courtesans, and Constables: Friends, my latest novel Criminals, Courtesans, and Constables is now available for $3.99, a price that goes up to $5.99 on the official release date of April 1.

On This DateIn 1916 – The United States Army invades Mexico when both the 7th and 10th cavalry regiments cross the border in search of Mexican revolutionary Panch Villa. Despite searching for most of the next year, the search was unsuccessful and the expedition marked the first time the US Army used aircraft and trucks in an operation.

In 1900 – Owners of teams in the Western League, meeting in Chicago, announce they are changing their name to the American League in an effort attain major league status. The American League would have eight teams in 1900, with Chicago winning the pennant by four games over Milwaukee. The new league would not be recognized as a major league until the following year.

In 1963 – The Four Seasons are at #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 for the third and final week with Walk Like a Man. It was third of five number one songs for the group, following Sherry and Big Girls Don’t Cry. The song was written by Bob Crewe and Four Seasons member Bob Gaudio and the production session is noted for a fire in a room above the studio that Crew would not break up until pulled out of the studio by firefighters.

QuotebookLincoln appealed to reason, historical fact, and the sense of justice that he believed a constituent of human nature. The power of persuasive language, he hoped, could motivate America to become the agent of its own liberation.Fred KaplanLincoln: The Biography of a Writer

Answer To The Last Trivia QuestionThe Doobie Brothers had five Top 10 hits on Billboard’s Hot 100.

Today’s StumperWhat cities that had American League teams in 1900 still have their original clubs? – Answer next time!

Leading OffWhat is funny about the whole college bribery story is how people are getting worked up over it because let’s be honest, is any of this surprising? It shouldn’t be.

The rich are bribing their way into elite colleges and universities? Please. What would be surprising is if this hasn’t been going on since Harvard opened their doors in the 1630s. Nothing really changes in this world; the privileged, and everyone else for that matter, will do what it takes to look after themselves. It’s the way the world is built. If a silly law stands in their way, they will ignore that law and go about their business.

Should we be surprised college sports was involved? Of course not. American college sports has been a cesspool since Harvard and Yale first rowed against each other in 1852. Professionals and other ringers were used on both sides and the event was held not near either campus, but at a resort in New Hampshire whose owner was merely exploiting the event to drum up some business. Imagine that.

And something else: we don’t approve of the bribing of collegiate rowing coaches any more than you do, but who exactly is the victim here? Some scrappy, unwashed rower from the projects? All right, granted, some otherwise deserving kids probably missed out an opportunity but life is both tough and unfair. Get up, dust yourself off and go somewhere else. College, like every other aspect of this life, is what you make of it.

We should be surprised at none of this and we should remember these are only the ones who got caught; it is probably just the tip of the iceberg.

Today At TheSiteThe Diary of a Nobody: Sparrow and The Wife enjoy a much needed leisurely day off together and it’s Sunday Spaghetti Nite, even though it’s Thursday. Today’s Diary.

Recall a couple of weeks ago for Sunday Spaghetti Nite (SSN) I had cooked up some Italian sausage for the sauce however I wasn’t entirely pleased with it, so at the big grocery store in town I bought some sweet Italian sausage and boy, that turned out really good…I didn’t completely cut it up, either, and there were some nice big chunks in there and both The Wife and the cat said it was the best ever.

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Criminals, Courtesans, and Constables: Friends, my latest novel Criminals, Courtesans, and Constables is now available for $3.99, a price that goes up to $5.99 on the official release day of April 1.

On This DateIn 44 BC – Julius Caesar, dictator of the Roman Republic, is assassinated by assorted members of the Roman Senate at the Theater of Pompey. While Caesar was able to stave off the initial attack of a malcontent Casca, others soon joined in and Caesar was stabbed a total of 23 times. The autopsy report, the earliest in recorded history, said only one stab wound, which severed the aorta, would have been sufficient to cause death.

In 1991 – Sergei Bubka, then of the Soviet Union, later of the Ukraine, becomes the first person to pole vault 20 feet at an indoor meet in San Sebastian, Spain. In August, Bubka would become the first person to vault 20 feet outdoors. He would retire with a personal best of 20 feet, 2.1 inches and, dominating like few others in sports history, Bubka would break both the indoor and outdoor pole vault 35 times over the course of his career. The pole vault world record is now held Renaud Lavillenie of France, who vaulted 20 feet, 2.5 inches in 2014.

In 1975 – The Doobie Brothers are at #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 for the first time with Black Water. The song would spend one week at #1 and had been released the previous year as the B side to the single Another Park, Another Sunday, which peaked at #32. The Doobie Brothers would hit #1 again in 1979 with What A Fool Believes.

QuotebookIf in the future we find ourselves with a lot of fourth-rate citizens, we have only ourselves to blame. Louis L’AmourEducation of a Wandering Man

Answer To The Last Trivia QuestionMichael Jordan holds the NBA playoff record for career scoring average at 33.4 points-per-game.

Today’s StumperHow many Top 10 hits did the Doobie Brothers have on Billboard’s Hot 100? – Answer next time!

Leading OffLeading Off is officially on hiatus. It will return, though we are not sure when.

Today At TheSiteThe Diary of a Nobody: Sparrow falls one room short of selling out at the hotel, and in what must be regarded as the Upset of the Year, The Wife’s estimate of how much snow is in the driveway actually turns out to be accurate. Today’s Diary.

I said of course and was actually surprised when her estimate turned out to be accurate: there was, more or less, six inches of snow in the driveway…Usually, The Wife can be counted on to inflate any figure or estimate by about a third…So I parked underneath the carport, ostensibly so I could use the snowblower on the entire driveway, but really so our neighbor Jerry would have free reign should he decide to move our snow for us.

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Criminals, Courtesans, and Constables: We hope are as excited as we are about the impending release of my latest novel. It’s about a criminal who runs courtesans who runs afoul of the law, though it is for something he didn’t do. It’s funny and thoughtful, just like the crap you read here every day.

On This DateIn 1964 – Jack Ruby is found guilty in Dallas, Texas of killing Lee Harvey Oswald, who had killed John F Kennedy the previous November. Ruby’s conviction and death sentence would be overturned on appeal, an appeals court finding Ruby’s confession should have been ruled inadmissible. Ruby would die in January 1967 of natural causes while awaiting a second trial in the same hospital that Oswald and Kenndy had died in.

In 1960 – Wilt Chamberlain, then a rookie with the Philadelphia Warriors, scores an NBA playoff record 53 points in a 132-112 win over Syracuse Nationals – now the Philadelphia 76ers – in the decisive third game of Eastern Conference Semifinals. The record was broken in 1962 when Elgin Baylor scored 61 points in a playoff game for the Los Angeles Lakers and the record is now held by Michael Jordan, who scored 63 for the Chicago Bulls in an April 1986 playoff game.

In 1981 – Guitar Man by Elvis Presley is at #1 on Billboard’s country chart – then known as the Hot Country Singles chart – for its only week. Guitar Man had originally been released in 1967 when Jerry Reed, who wrote the song, had a minor country hit and Elvis had a minor pop hit with it. It was Elvis’ eleventh #1 song on the country chart and Guitar Man also went to #28 on Billboard’s Hot 100. It was Elvis’ penultimate hit on the country chart and his final Hot 100 hit.

QuotebookWe are always getting ready to live, but never living.Ralph Waldo Emerson

Answer To The Last Trivia QuestionThe previous Trivia question is withdrawn.

Today’s StumperWho holds the record for highest points-per-game average in the NBA playoffs? – Answer next time!

Leading OffLeading Off is officially on hiatus. It will return, though we are not sure when.

Today At TheSiteThe Diary of a Nobody: At the hotel, one of the coffee pots is filled with poison, and Sparrow interviews for the county’s vacant veteran service officer postion. Today’s Diary.

The two women interviewing me were my age and I was funny and affable as if we were enjoying drinks at a singles bar…Most of the time I’ve interviewed for work it was because I needed the job, but not only do I not need this job, I didn’t particularly want it, recall I only applied because Stanko and Rick at the Legion thought I’d do well at it and, of course, our vets deserve top-notch service.

Click here to follow Sparrow – an average man passing an average life.$5.99 includes all entries, past, present, and future.

Criminals, Courtesans, and Constables: We hope are as excited as we are about the impending release of my latest novel. It’s about a criminal who runs courtesans who runs afoul of the law, though it is for something he didn’t do. It’s funny and thoughtful, just like the crap you read here every day.

On This DateIn 1862 – The US government prohibits the army from returning fugitive slaves, effectively annulling the Fugitive Slave Act of 1950. This leads directly to President Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation. Also on this date in the Civil War, in 1865, the Confederacy – desperate, and a month away from surrendering – announces they will induct slaves into their army, promising them their freedom in exchange for their service.

In 1983 – Randy Smith’s NBA record of 906 consecutive games played ends after scoring four points in a 111-102 loss to the Dallas Mavericks. Smith, who wasn’t playing very much, asked for an was granted his release and he later signed with the Atlanta Hawks. Smith had broken the record the previous November when he played in his 845th consecutive game, breaking Johnny Kerr’s record, and the mark is now held by A.C. Green with 1,192.

In 1965 – The Beatles are at #1 on Billboard’s Hot 100 for the first of two weeks with Eight Days a Week. It was the group’s seventh #1 song I Want To Hold Your Hand was at #1 from Feruary 1 to March 14, 1964, making the Beatles the only act in Hot 100 history to have seven #1 songs in a 365 day period. The group was not particularly fond of the song, never sang it concert, and it was not released as a single in their native Great Britain.

QuotebookFor the first time, Seward understood the nature of Lincoln’s political genius. He had been able to make himself absolute dictator without ever letting anyone suspect that he was anything more than a timid, joking backwoods lawyer.Gore VidalLincoln

Answer To The Last Trivia QuestionEvery Breath You Take by the Police, with eight weeks at #1, was Billboard’s biggest song of 1983.

Today’s StumperWho holds the NBA record for most consecutive games played by an active player? – Answer next time!

Leading OffLeading Off is officially on hiatus. It will return, though we are not sure when.

Today At TheSiteThe Diary of a Nobody: Sparrow has the latest on the scratch paper front at the hotel, plus Sparrow has tips on how to get a manager to approve your return of used tire chains. Today’s Diary.

Now, initially she’ll go thru the motions of enforcing store policy and tell you no, but she always yields…You don’t even have to say anything, just stand there with an expectant puppy look on your face and eventually she’ll allow your return…

Clickhereto follow Sparrow – an average man passing an average life.$5.99 includes all entries, past, present, and future.

Criminals, Courtesans, and Constables: We hope are as excited as we are about the impending release of my latest novel. It’s about a criminal who runs courtesans who runs afoul of the law, though it is for something he didn’t do. It’s funny and thoughtful, just like the crap you read here every day.

On This DateIn 1933 – Franklin Roosevelt addresses the United States for the first time as president, eight days after his inauguration, the first of his fireside chats. Mired in the Great Depression and facing the failure of many American banks, Roosevelt had closed all American banks on March 6 and on the 9th Congress had passed the Emergency Banking Act. Roosevelt spoke for 13 minutes from the Diplomatic Reception Room at the White House in front of assorted members of the press. Between 1933 and 1940 Roosevelt would give 30 such fireside chats.

In 1992 – Don Nelson, then in his first sting as head coach of the Golden State Warriors, becomes the first person to participate in 2,500 NBA games as a player and a coach when the Warriors lose to the Detroit Pistons 119-112. Nelson would retire in 2010 having played and coached in 3,451 NBA games, 2,398 as a coach and 1,53 as a player.

In 1983 – Billie Jean by Michael Jackson is at # on the Billboard Hot 100 for the second of seven weeks. It was the first of two #1s from the album Thriller and the fourth of 13 #1 songs Jackson had as a solo act. The song went to #1 in nine other countries, including Great Britain and was also in its fifth of nine weeks at #1 on Billboard’s soul chart. Billie Jean was Billboard’s second biggest hit of 1983.

QuotebookIt is remarkable how little concern men seem to have for logic, statistics and, even, indeed, survival: we live by emotion, prejudice, and pride.
Dwight Eisenhower

Answer To The Last Trivia QuestionElisha Gray filed a patent caveat for the telephone later the same day that Alexander Graham Bell filed his patent application A caveat had much the same information as an application and was formal notice of intent to file an application at a later date.